Graphical Abstract:

Abstract:

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the leading
cause of death among women throughout the world. The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing
in Iran and the disease has been the most prevalently registered cancer in the country during
the past decade.

Objective: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of motivational interviewing (MI)
on awareness, attitude, and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) in high-risk women.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial recruited 60 rural women at higher risk of breast cancer in
Babol, Iran in 2016. Thirty women from two randomly selected villages were assigned to the MI
group. Two other villages were also randomly selected and 30 of their female residents were allocated
to the control group. Eligible people were first identified by referring to the villages’ health
centers. The participants were recruited using a table of random numbers and their informed consent
was obtained. In the MI group, five 90-minutes weekly sessions of MI were held. Conventional
training was conducted in the control group. All subjects completed a researcher-made questionnaire
at baseline (before the intervention), at the end of the study, and three months later. Data were
analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, and Bonferroni, Friedman, Wilcoxon, and
chi-square tests.

Results: In the MI group, there were significant increases in women's mean scores of awareness in
the first and second follow-ups compared to the baseline. Moreover, the mean score of attitude toward
BSE in the MI group increased at the end of the study (P<0.001). The positive performance of
the participants was significantly different between the MI and control groups at the end of the
study (86.7% vs. 16.7%; P<0.001) and three months later (83.3% vs. 13.3%; P<0.001).

Conclusion: MI can be used alongside conventional trainings to promote and motivate screening
behaviors.

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the leading
cause of death among women throughout the world. The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing
in Iran and the disease has been the most prevalently registered cancer in the country during
the past decade.

Objective: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of motivational interviewing (MI)
on awareness, attitude, and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) in high-risk women.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial recruited 60 rural women at higher risk of breast cancer in
Babol, Iran in 2016. Thirty women from two randomly selected villages were assigned to the MI
group. Two other villages were also randomly selected and 30 of their female residents were allocated
to the control group. Eligible people were first identified by referring to the villages’ health
centers. The participants were recruited using a table of random numbers and their informed consent
was obtained. In the MI group, five 90-minutes weekly sessions of MI were held. Conventional
training was conducted in the control group. All subjects completed a researcher-made questionnaire
at baseline (before the intervention), at the end of the study, and three months later. Data were
analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, and Bonferroni, Friedman, Wilcoxon, and
chi-square tests.

Results: In the MI group, there were significant increases in women's mean scores of awareness in
the first and second follow-ups compared to the baseline. Moreover, the mean score of attitude toward
BSE in the MI group increased at the end of the study (P<0.001). The positive performance of
the participants was significantly different between the MI and control groups at the end of the
study (86.7% vs. 16.7%; P<0.001) and three months later (83.3% vs. 13.3%; P<0.001).

Conclusion: MI can be used alongside conventional trainings to promote and motivate screening
behaviors.